clare - hollywood glamour at rushpool hall, North Yorkshire

I am a massive fan on the golden era of Hollywood. My Gran brought me up on the old musicals and a lot of my passion for makeup stems from watching Rita Hayworth, Bette Grable and Marilyn Monroe back in the day and studying their makeup.

So when Clare came to see me said what she had in mind I was so happy. Half way through her trial she had a sneaky peak at how her eyes were looking and cried when she saw her liner. She said she just felt so confident & happy that I knew exactly what she wanted.

Clare looked unbelievable with the Hollywood look, she suited it perfectly with her platinum blonde hair as I'm sure you'll agree! What a bombshell!

In September I had the pleasure of being involved in this BEAU-TI-FUL wedding. Set in the gorgeous Natural Retreats in Richmond, North Yorkshire it was a early 6am start to get Gemma and her ladies ready in time for her 11am wedding!

Gemma had such a clear image of what she over all look for her day which was Pinterest perfect! Queue, Jenny Packham dress, olive leaf crown and boho waves... sooo gorgeous!

At the trial I came up with this look after Gemma showed me some images of makeup she loved with the only specification she definitely wanted a dark matte lip, it totally pulled her whole look together.

I loved working with Jennifer at Middleton Lodge, we are both obsessed with skincare products and Jo Malone perfumes and she even turned me on to my new favourite scent that she was wearing at her trial! Its not all about putting makeup on people for me, I love building a relationship with my brides, even though its a short time that I get to spend its such an important part of someones life.

For her bridal makeup Jennifer wanted a dewy look, to show off her GORGEOUS skin, we pared this with a winged liner and classic pinky nude lip in Charlotte Tilbury's Pillowtalk. The look was perfect on her and so timeless.

Here's a couple of images from Michael Cartwright Photography that he kindly shared with me!

​One of my July weddings was at one of the quirkiest venues in the North East, the Crab & Lobster where Laura and Sam got hitched. Laura decided she wanted a glam look so we did a rose gold eye to fit in with her theme. It looked amazing with her colouring and was also complemented by the amazing rose gold sequinned bridesmaids dresses. It was a busy morning getting seven ladies ready in total, they all looked amazing and I had such a gorgeous morning with them all!​

I received a slightly panicked email from Becki a Middlesbrough girl who'd emigrated to New Zealand struggling for Makeup Artist. "I probably don't have a snowballs chance in hell in booking you now but I thought id give it a go anyway. " Well she was lucky because I was free! ​Becki wanted my signature glowy, bohemian look to compliment her day. We did the trial the week of the wedding and then I drove over to the Lake District the night before as it was an earlier start with loads of lovely bridesmaids to get ready too.

It was a very international affair with lots of different accents milling around on the morning and I totally loved being apart of it and I was so happy I was able to help Becky out last minute... It just proves if you don't ask you'll never know!

Back in May I had the pleasure to get Victoria ready for her wedding to Ian, in what's become one of my new favourite venue's Eshott Hall in Northumberland. It has the elegance of a stately home but feels more private, intimate and personal that some of the larger halls.

Victoria, said at her trial she wasn't one for a lot of makeup and wanted to look really natural on her Wedding Day. To achieve look this I kept everything very pared back only using matte shadows on her eyes to mimic natural shadows. I then used cream blush, highlighter and gel contour to give natural light and shade to her face. Almost a no makeup, makeup look, she looked exactly like herself but just a bit more polished and put together. The bridesmaids had very similar makeup, to match with their blush dresses. I absolutely loved working with Victoria, a lovely lady inside and out.

So last year I spent wedding season and into the winter months pregnant. I waddled with my kit all over the North East getting lots of brides ready for their big days. I finally hung my brushes up for a short while and had my son Harry, 8 days late on the 16th February weighing 7lbs & 7 ounces! It was the best day of mine and my husband's life and he is just the most perfect, happy little boy. ​

2 week old Harry - Image by the talented Jen Hart

I wanted to do a blog about this, firstly to let you know why I've been quiet but also I wanted to share with you some little tips/quick fixes on the postpartum side of Makeup and Beauty.

I am a first time Mum and certainly no expert but wanted to share some of my experience with you on this subject. I know a lot of my lovely brides have gone on to have babies and some who are currently expecting and felt I wanted to share this with you.

After labour, the sleepless nights and no longer having any time for yourself, these little things might make you feel just a bit like 'yourself' again!

Dry Body BrushingFinding time to even just have a wash is difficult in the early days, but when I did I used a big body brush and scrubbed all my dry skin away. It makes your skin feel softer, but also helps to get rid of all those toxins, hormones and rubbish out of your body that has accumulated over 9 months. It totally kick starts the lymph system and gets rid of excess fluid of which you have a lot of after labour. It also wakes up your body, I felt particularly sluggish. It gives much needed energy, improves circulation and can start to help shift some of the baby weight! A Brucie bonus.

Skin and HydrationThe first thing that shows lack of sleep is your skin, fine lines become deeper, darkness under the eyes, spots and dryness can all make you look like death warmed up! The biggest thing you can do to help your skin is to make sure you drink water. You always make sure baby is fed but remembering to drink and feed yourself is difficult. Fill a big bottle and keep it with you and aim to drink it all every day. In addition to this moisturise and use something that is high in hyaluronic acid to flood your skin and help it retain moisture. An eye cream, especially one with a rollerball that you can keep in the fridge will take down puffiness, help to fight ageing by plumping fine lines, it will also improve the circulation in that area to make you look less tired.

5 Minute MakeupNo longer having the luxury of time to apply my makeup how I used to I totally slimmed down my daily routine. I changed products specifically to make it a simple, effective and a much quicker application. Swapping out powder products for creams is a great tip as you can use your fingers to apply, therefore it is speedier but they also give you that dewy glow that you now may be lacking!

Dewy skin equals healthy skin, making you look well rested and no one needs to know its totally false! BB creams are easy to wear during the day, or a light foundation, if you haven't got time just conceal areas where needed!

Multi-use products are also great and time saving such as cheek and lip tints for example. Stick applicators are great as you can literally draw them on and blend with your fingers. There are products available for all areas on the face such as cream eye shadows, blushers, contour, highlight and light reflective concealer pens really can make the difference for the eye area.

Curling your lashes can really help you look more awake if you have really limited time. LVL lashes are a treatment that perms and tints your lashes and lasts for up to 8 weeks, so you don't even have to worry about them on a morning, this is something I plan on getting!

One last thing, your body has just been through a massive ordeal, but you've done something amazing and brought life into the world! So if you aren't feeling too hot, give yourself a break and when someone offers to let you have a nap, a break or just 5 minutes - let them and look after yourself!​See below for some of my top postpartum beauty and makeup products. I hope you find them useful!

Whilst finally putting this post together and looking back at all the amazing moments I've had in 2016 just reminds me how lucky I am to do what I do. Its not just that I get to 'work' in some of the most beautfiul venues around the North East and Yorkshire, surrounded by gorgeous flowers, stunning wedding gowns, shoes, and of course loads of makeup but more importantly getting to work in the special inimate atmosphere that a wedding morning brings, full of laughter and love. Being able to calm a brides nerves and giving her the confidence to walk down the ailse has got to be the best bit for me; I completely love what I do and hope that my passion shines through in my work.

Below are some of my brides that I've had the pleasure to work with last year and I have also added in some of the beautiful images from shoots I have worked on. I must also say a huge thank you to all of the amazing photographers I have worked with who have given me permission to use these images. (Please see underneath each picture for the credit.) Without them I could not show my work properly, as I am certainly no photographer!

I hope you enjoy looking through these images. A huge thank you to all the amazing brides, clients, fellow wedding suppliers I met in 2016, it was a blast!

On a gorgeous day during the August bank holiday weekend I spent the morning with the lovely Praline and her girls getting them ready for her big day. At Praline's trial she had concerns mainly about getting her base perfect, as she said her skin was oily and worried her makeup wouldn't last. We created a look using products suited to her skin type including a good matte primer, a foundation suited to oily skin and a good setting spray to finish. Praline loves a bright lipstick so we went for Atomic by Illamasqua a gorgeous fuchsia violet matte shade.

Natasha married fiance James back in July at Whitby Registry Office, with a small intimate reception at the beautiful Highgate House, a gorgeous small boutique hotel in the heart of Whitby. Natasha who is from Russia met James from Manchester whilst he was working in her home country. James brought Natasha to Whitby on a little holiday and she fell in love with it and they decided it was the place that they would get married! Natasha was still in Russia just before the wedding, so we didn't have time to fit in a trial, however due to her clear vision of what she wanted it was easy to create it on the day. ​The look was fresh and dewy with a natural glow from within and a natural lip colour. She also wanted a vintage winged liner to go with her beautiful original vintage dress that she had found in a Vintage shop in Manchester.

Iphone pictures I snapped on the morning

Credit: Mark Hillyer Photography

I think she looked so beautiful and we nailed the look she was going for. I loved working with Natasha on her wedding morning, and I wish her and James and long and happy life together.

​With Thanks to Mark Hillyer for the stunning images of Natasha in front of the beach huts in Whitby that perfectly bring out the blue in her eyes!